The Future Never Looked So Different
by PikaSilver-Moon
Summary: James Potter was loyal to his best friend first, the Light second. When Sirius is given an ultimatum, become a Death Eater upon graduation or let his younger brother Regulus fill the spot for him, he chooses the former. When James is given the choice of following the boy he has called brother for so long or live a happy blissful life with Lily Evans, he also chooses the former.
1. Prologue: The End of the Dark

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, only any OC's that might turn up, I say might because there are so many character's that it's not hard to find someone to fill a role, though a few suggestions for Death Eater flunkies (for the outer circle members that get bossed around) would be appreciated.

Warning: There will be mild slashy undertones, hints of James/Sirius, though I am trying to go for an unclear relationship, as in could be taken for lovers, could be taken for brothers, could be taken for inseparable brotherly relationship. As for romance itself, it's still undecided, though if there would be romance, it would be much later into the story.

I don't know how long this idea is going to stay lodged in my head, but until I finally hit that writers block, enjoy.

~~BREAKLINE~~

Prologue: The End of the Dark

Everyone knew, word spread from person to person, hushed whispers, excited proclamations, but it was only when the newspaper headlines confirmed it, did people come out of their hiding holes, to celebrate the end of the Wizarding War.

_YOU-KNOW-WHO DEFEATED, HARRY SNAPE NAMED BOY-WHO-LIVED _

Severus Snape sneered at the headline, Boy-Who-Lived, they were proclaiming his son a savior already, and it was only due to his old house in Spinner's End being virtually unknown to the Wizarding community that he didn't have nosy reporters on his doorstep, demanding interviews and snapping pictures of him and baby Harry. The child missed his mother, as if he knew his mother would no longer be there to rock him to sleep, coo as she fed him, give him goodnight kisses. Currently, only Dumbledore, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin had access to his location, though he insisted they walked to his neighborhood, having cut his floo and set up anti-apparition wards, not trusting the Ministry to not be monitoring for him specifically.

It had been difficult, Lily had always been better at expressing emotion then he had, and while he had lost much of the bitterness he harbored from his youth, expressing emotions other then contempt and distain had always been a struggle, even while he was alone, away from any observing eyes. That was not an environment a child should grow up in, he needed a mother, he needed someone in his life that could express affection for children, and while he loved his son very much, it was Lily who always made sure little Harry knew it.

"How will we both survive now, little one?" he asked the cooing child on his lap, who looked up at him with eyes the reminded him painfully of Lily, with the exact shade of emerald as Lily. While Peter and Remus had been a big help in looking after Harry, they three were still pretty clueless about looking after a toddler, and unlike Lily, Severus had very few friends to rely on for help, having cut ties with many of the Slytherins he knew when it went public that he was dating Lily Evans, though his knowledge of curses and hexes kept most of Slytherin from voicing their dislike.

That didn't stop the Gryffindors, who were far bolder about their dislike, though that also quickly stopped when the younger Macdonald was sent to the hospital wing in such a state that Poppy had considered sending the poor boy to St Mungo's. They had assumed it had been him at first, as Macdonald had attempted a curse that had hit Lily instead of him, but Poppy had confirmed he had been by Lily's bedside all day, and from the glimpse he had gotten while he was by Lily's bedside confirmed the culprits to him. Sirius Black was rather vicious when it was personal; though he was pretty damned sure James had managed to get a few decent spells in too. Still, disliked by Slytherins and Gryffindors alike, it had been hard keeping friends in his last year of Hogwarts. While he didn't regret anything, it made times like this (when he was willing to swallow his pride and ask for help) difficult as the ones he could ask were already helping.

He was pulled from his musings rather abruptly, when the fireplace flared to life, and Dumbledore's face appeared in it, looking rather solemn instead of his usual cheer. "Ah, Severus, just the man I needed to see. I have a letter two gentlemen insisted I pass to you, it's very urgent you read and reply apparently," as the fire spit out a letter with labeled _Severus Snape_ in curly beautiful handwriting, though one he didn't recognize, onto the floor.

Hesitantly, Severus opened the letter, reading the contents quickly, before summoning new parchment and ink, writing a hurried reply, even as Dumbledore waited patiently. Normally, Severus had no care for those who were being tried in court, but this particular trial was more important than the slump he was in right now. For the first time since Lily's death, he felt alive again.

"Come on Harry, let's go save your silly Godfather and your equally silly Uncle,"

~~BREAKLINE~~

The trials following the defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort, You-Know-Who, were a flurry of accusations, condemnations and desperate pleas of innocence, as Death Eaters were rooted out from their hiding holes following the supposed death of the Dark Lord. They both knew better, if the Dark Lord had truly been defeated, the mark that was branded onto their forearm would have faded, instead of being still as black and visible as it had been when they were first branded.

Frankly, neither of them had particularly cared whether or not the Dark Lord was dead or not, unlike some of his more fanatic supporters such as Bellatrix, their reasons for joining had been influenced purely be family and the notion that they were protecting those dear to them, though they both knew as soon as either of them got their hands on the traitor that had sold out Lily and Severus Snape, as well as baby Harold James Snape, they would quite happily tear him limb from bloody limb under the pretense of being angry at him for causing the Dark Lords downfall.

If Peter had been just a minute slower to warn the family…as it was, he had made it in time, so when the Dark Lord appeared on the Snape's doorstep in Godric Hollow (a secret wedding gift from the Potter family), they were prepared to fight to the death. Somehow, little Harry had heard the commotion, and crawled his way downstairs to investigate. His target right in front of him, the Dark Lord had tried to kill the child only to have Lily jump in the way. The rest of the fight was hard to tell, both Peter and Severus' angered grief fueled fighting, and the Dark Lords increasing irritation and the situation, he finally turned his wand on Harry, only to have the spell backfire on him.

Everyone had heard that night; Harry James Snape had survived the killing curse, the first to ever survive the killing curse, and that the Dark Lord was gone, his own spell reflected back at him. The tides had turned, the end of the war was once again visible and as Death Eaters were rounded up, they too, had been captured, though they didn't really put up a fight, letting Frank Longbottom take them to be tried as they had what they expected was their last drink as free men.

They had spent the long days and nights in the same cell, any attempts at separating them had been met with fierce fighting and a multitude of hidden weapons being used, the Aurors stationed as guards had been woefully unprepared for wizards that had training for the event that they would be without wands. Dumbledore had visited once, just once, had stood there staring, at them with an unreadable expression, before walking out again without a word. Neither's family visited, which was fine with both of them, they had cut contact with family for this very reason.

And now, a week after they were brought to the Ministry, they were seated in front of the entire Wizengamot, looking like they didn't have a care in the world, as the court scribe rattled on about their crimes, which from what he heard every so often, was missing a lot of content. One did not become part of the Dark Lords inner circle in three short years by doing the bare minimum that was expected of a Death Eater. There was a good reason they were part of the Dark Lords favorites (he even refrained from torturing them needlessly) despite the Dark Lord knowing just how much loyalty they had.

Bracing himself for the inevitable guilty verdict and damnation, James Potter shot his companion a look that promised he would follow him to Hell and beyond. Sirius Black, despite the multitude of chains holding him down (far more than necessary, but they weren't taking chances after Sirius mutilated two Aurors for trying to separate them) smiled a bright heartwarming smile at him, and that was enough to reassure James that he had made the right choice after all.


	2. The Past, Part 1

Thanks to Kazo Sakamari for the first review (and for reassuring me I did not make a complete fool of myself posting the prologue xD)

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Harry Potter or anything associated with Harry Potter.

Warning: Same as the prologue, also minor OC's, as there isn't enough information on who else attended Hogwarts in James and Sirius time there.

Also, I found the Pure-Blood Directory but am surprised to find the Potter's are not on the list. While it's bad form, I'll partly ignore the list, because I've always considered the Potter family pure bloods of the highest caliber.

~~BREAKLINE~~

Chapter One: The Past, Part 1

_1977, September 1__st__, Kings Cross Station, Hogwarts Express_

When he had first arrived at platform 9 & 3/4, the first thing he did was seek Sirius out. He found him eventually, in a train compartment close to the back of the train instead of the Marauders' usual compartment in the middle of the train. He had nearly walked past the door, charmed to keep people away, James noted, the only reason he had noticed was because he was liberally using 'point me' to find the occupant inside. Sirius Black sat with his knees drawn to his chin, arms wrapped around his legs, as if trying to make himself as small as possible. Hearing the door open, he looked up, noticing James standing at the door with surprise, before that melted into sadness.

The look on Sirius' face stopped whatever tirade he was about to unload onto the teen. Sirius Black looked like a man who had just been condemned to Azkaban, there was no positive emotion discernible, instead there was only misery, despair and resignation.

"Sirius, you twat, why didn't you reply to my letters?" but instead of sounding annoyed, James' voice came out as a soft whisper, as if he was afraid of the answer that Sirius would give. Sirius didn't reply, staring at James, as if he didn't think James was really at the door. "Sirius?" James asked again, as he came into the compartment and sat next to the teen.

For a long time, neither of them spoke, instead falling into a comfortable silence, as countryside rolled past outside the window, the train quickly along the tracks, yet feeling like a lifetime to the two sat in the compartment. Finally, when Sirius decided that there was enough distance between him and London, he spoke.

"My Mother, she told me something this summer, when the Malfoy's came round. I already knew of course, that Cousin Bella was a Death Eater, she's really vocal about it, but I didn't know Malfoy was one too,"

James gave Sirius a questioning look. The Malfoy's were an old name in the wizarding world, and while they were big on blood purity, they also held a pride that dictated they should not, would not, bow to anyone, even one such as You-Know-Who. The fact that Malfoy was a Death Eater surprised him, but then, he suppose, while Lucius was known for his quick cunning and intelligence, he did not have the Malfoy pride that Abraxas Malfoy was legendary for. In many ways, Lucius Malfoy was coward (though Slytherins would called it self-preservation) who didn't have the sheer balls Abraxas Malfoy had.

"He's was engaged to Narcissa this summer, he's practically _family_ now," Sirius spat, the venom in his words reassuring James that Sirius hadn't been broken by whatever his Mother had done this summer. "Mother…she, Mother was proud to have a Death Eater be part of the family, she claimed he was so brave to stand up for blood purity, that what You-Know-Who was doing was the one of the most noble causes to happen since Salazar Slytherin's attempt to close Hogwarts to muggl-," Sirius suddenly cut off, freezing in place, the word muggleborn on the tip of his tongue.

"Mudblood, I meant mudblood, got to remember that, can't say muggleborn, they'll know, mudblood, mudblood, mudblood," he chanted, as if the mantra would help engrain the word into his mind, his demeanor suddenly more desperate. James jerked violently at the word, giving Sirius a look that was somewhere between disbelief and disgust.

"Don't you _dare _use that word around me, you hear me? I don't care how good friends we are, I won't listen to you calling anyone some filthy name just because their parents are muggles." He hissed at the now trembling teen, who withdrew into himself the more James yelled.

"Tell me what's going on, you're acting like a scared rabbit, what's wrong?" he finally sighed, realizing that he wasn't likely to get answers if he continued to yell at Sirius. "Mother said she wanted Regulus to be like Malfoy, be one of You-Know-Who's Death Eaters. I…I begged her to reconsider, and she…she said if I took Regulus' place, she wouldn't ask Regulus to. I couldn't let her James, you have to understand, she was going to make Reggie be some madman's slave, for something as stupid as _blood purity_, I couldn't let her, so I agreed, when I graduate, I'll be a Death Eater instead of Reggie. I can't let him have Reggie, I just can't!" Sirius cried, as he clutched James sleeve, hands shaking from the sudden onslaught of emotion. "But I'm scared James, I don't want to be a Death Eater, we all know what they do, the things they do to people, even their own, I'm scared, I don't want to be alone,"

James stared at the trembling teen, so different from the confident and arrogant boy he knew. In his place was a scared boy, one who's whole world was about to end. He couldn't risk being friends with Remus or Peter any longer, Remus was a werewolf and a half-blood, and Peter, while a pureblood, was from a family that was filled with blood-traitors. Only himself was considered acceptable, a pureblood heir from a neutral family. If he left, Sirius would be alone.

He thought of Lily Evans, sweet, wonderful Lily, of how he would win her heart, marry her and start a family, he thought of his parents, their reaction to what he was considering, but in the end, the broken form of his best friend outweighed them all. Leaving had never been an option.

"What are you talking about, you daft fool, how are you alone if I'm here. Budge up; I'm not going to leave you alone, ok? You're stuck with me forever, whether you like it or not,"

Briefly, he thought of Lily again, his last lingering desires crying out as they were slowly killed. He couldn't do that to Lily, she deserved someone who wasn't about to sign his life over to a madman bent on killing people just like her.

The look of utter shock followed by the brilliant smile on Sirius' face squashed any lingering doubts and regrets he had.

_1977, September 1__st__, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Great Hall_

Lily bit her lip nervously again, shooting occasional glances down the table to where James Potter and Sirius Black sat. Despite sitting with the other 6th year boys, somehow they seemed isolated from them. They had been missing all train journey, not in their usual compartment with Pettigrew and Lupin. Lupin had asked her as soon as he entered the prefect's compartment, hoping that Potter had gone to bug her for a date again.

The entire train ride she had waited, constantly shooting the compartment door looks, waiting for the duo to burst in as arrogant as they always did, strutting around like they owned the place, they did so every year, she had reassured herself, this year was no different. Except it was, her journey was quiet, made worse by the achingly obvious absence of Severus. Ever since last year, he had been purposely avoiding her, even during the summer, she had not seen hide or hair of him despite living two doors down.

She had forgiven him for his remark, he was a Slytherin, to be defended by a Gryffindor, especially a muggleborn one, well, calling her a mudblood was one part self-preservation, one part humiliation to have to rely on a girl (and a muggleborn Gryffindor at that) to defend him. She probably would have done the same thing in his shoes. Still, it had hurt, more then she had expected, and she had spent a good few weeks getting over the hurt. Severus had been her first friend, someone who hadn't called her a freak because she could do things 'normal' people couldn't, as her sister always liked to remind her.

She had more friends now; the other Gryffindor girls, as well as those she had met in her classes from the other houses, but Severus Snape would always be her best friend, even with his fascination with the Dark Arts, if only he would talk to her so that she could remind him of the fact.

Shooting the Potter and Black another glance, she noted that the two had withdrawn even more from their usual friends, Lupin looking hurt and Pettigrew looking confused as the two semi-huddled together, whispering so quietly she doubted even the people next to them could hear. She suppose she'd had to wait till Potter started bugging her for a date again, while their behavior was strange, most likely they had thought of some new great prank play on the school, or they were planning on tormenting some poor student again. She'd have to warn Sev in Potions, there would be nothing he could do to avoid her if she partnered with him after all.

_1977, November 15__th__, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 3__rd__ Floor Charms Classroom_

Severus Snape was not one to usually accept summons from James Potter and Sirius Black, especially not those two, and especially not in the middle of the night, past curfew, when the two had a known reputation for being bullies, unnecessarily cruel and downright menaces, especially to him. Ever since first year, when he had met James Potter on the train and the fool had started insulting him in some vain hope to impress Lily, they had been at each other's throats. Severus disliked James Potter's arrogant, higher-than-thou rich pureblood attitude (Severus still didn't understand how Potter wasn't a Slytherin), and James Potter had taken one look at Severus' shabby clothes and worn second hand items and decided that he was beneath him.

Normally, he would have alerted a prefect or a professor, or even Filch about the midnight rendezvous already then let it slide from his mind, if it hadn't been for two factors. The first factor had been because Lily's name had been mentioned, he hadn't even read the message properly, only seen Lily's name before storming off. The second factor had been the foursome's behavior thus far, ever since the start of the sixth year. Normally, they'd come find him on the train, to taunt and bully him more, to get in charms and hexes before points could be taken and detentions assigned. This year, he had not heard a peep, left alone in his compartment. Severus had considered tracking them down before deciding that looking for trouble was a stupid and very non-Slytherin thing to do.

The strange behavior had persisted, they still pulled pranks, just two days ago, the Great Hall was greeted to some new colours, when everyone who drank any liquid at breakfast found themselves spontaneous changing colours an hour later, but there never was a target anymore, it was always schoolwide, and no person, whether it be Hufflepuff or their fellow Gryffindors, were spared. Severus himself had been sporting a rather nice shade of emerald, the same colour as Lily's eyes, which he found he was surprisingly ok with, he had seen some of the possible colours he could have been turned, needless to say, he was rather thankful it wasn't worse.

Perhaps the biggest hint that something was terribly wrong was that James Potter, star and ace of the Gryffindor Quidditch team had resigned, turning in his Captain's badge to Professor McGonagall. The rumor spread like wildfire, but it was during the first match, the traditional Gryffindor vs Slytherin that it was confirmed when the reserve Chaser Hartley flew instead of Potter, and Graham was the one who stepped up to shake Regulus' hand. Potter wasn't even in the spectator stands, and neither was Black, the two having disappeared during the match.

The two never called him names now, when they saw him in the hallways, they kept walking as if he wasn't there, and when he would be forced to talk to them, it was always polite nods, 'Snape' instead of 'Snivellus' and not a single hex or curse . He knew Lily was worried, he could see it in the way she shot them confused little glances, especially at Potter. And Potter, who usually fawned all over her, had slowly been distancing himself from her, spending more time with Black exclusively, even at times avoiding Lupin and Pettigrew. Severus was, to put it mildly, curious about why the two most arrogant pricks in the entire school had done a complete 180, and that had won over his sense of self-preservation.

Perhaps this would give him some insight on the reason the duo had seemingly grown up over one summer, the whole school had noticed that there was something wrong with the usual loud and arrogant duo, with rumors ranging from being replaced with polyjuiced doppelgangers to torture over the summer beating the arrogance right out of them. Severus had snorted rather loudly at that one, pointing out the fact that if anyone tortured the only heir to the Potter family, it would have been splashed all over the news. News about how Charles Potter had ripped the torturer to pieces that is.

While everyone saw the big changes, he was one of the few people who noticed the smaller changes, like how Black made a great effort to avoid talking to muggleborns, it was usually Potter who did the interacting, Black often looking off to the side, half hidden behind the taller, bulkier Potter. He noticed how Potter started showing less and less emotion, an occasional smile or laugh, a quirk of the lips rather than anything loud and open. Both were withdrawing more and more, Black from people, and Potter from emotion.

Severus tried to look on the bright side, if it indeed turned out to be an ambush, there would be no interference and no teachers, which meant he could use some of his more _creative _curses, such as his rather new creation, Sectumsempra.

Taking a deep breath, Severus opened the door to the disused Charms Classroom on the 3rd floor, turning to look at the serious faces of James Potter and Sirius Black, wand drawn, just in case, because while he was curious, that didn't mean he was going to trust the two to keep their word.

~~BREAKLINE~~

Both parties stared at eachother, taking in the changes since the last time they had been face to face, Severus noting how the serious look on Potter's face looked so different to what he was used to seeing on the boy, how instead of the usual mocking sneer it was a curiously blank look, face showing no emotion, how Black looked even worse, dark rings under his eyes indicated a lack of sleep, skin paler then even his, missing the healthy glow it had before summer, and most importantly, how Black's eyes held such a defeated look, it was as if Black had resigned himself to a fate worse than death.

The two in turn, studied him, Potter's eyes racked over him, noting any changes from the previous year, which he doubted there was much off, though his eyes held the ever present guilty look whenever he thought of Lily, and how he had called her such as slur like mudblood. Potter's eyes shone with something close to approval, but there was jealousy was well and the same resigned look that was in Black's eyes. Something had happened after all, and whatever it was, had been far more important than Severus. He privately hoped that perhaps someone had finally managed to knock the two down a few hundred pegs, preferably in a painful manner.

"Thank You for coming," was the first words that broke the silence, and that alone was enough to confirm to Severus that James Potter was serious about whatever this was.

"You can thank me when I know why it is you called me out here in the middle of the night, using Lily's name as bait of all things," he sneers.

"You care about Evans, don't you?" Potter asked quietly, after staring at him in silence, as if debating whether he should have been there after all.

"_That _is why you called me out here? To ask about my feelings for a stupid mudblood?" he whispered angrily, annoyed to be called out for something as childish as competition for Lily's affection, turning to leave at an apparent waste of time. A part of him burned with the guilt of calling Lily that slur again, silently apologizing to Lily for slandering her behind her back. _Since when did he call Lily by her surname? _He wondered, noting the detachment in which Potter spoke her name.

"You shouldn't call her that, especially because you don't think she's a mudblood at all, you think she's the most beautiful girl you've ever met, you want to be friends with her again, maybe something more but you just can't forgive yourself," Black said quietly, freezing him in his tracks. He whipped around so fast; he was surprised his head didn't fall off, enraged at what Black had said. This was worse than tormenting him, humiliating him, for while the torment hurt his pride, this hurt his heart. "You look really guilty whenever you call Evan's a mudblood," he added quietly, eyes boring into his own.

Before he could say anything, Black gave him a sad look, whispering the words he had been running away from ever since last year. "She forgives you, you know. The only thing stopping you is that you can't forgive yourself,"

"Go and win Lily back, Snape, she's still waiting for you, go and make her the happiest girl on this planet," James said, the intense serious look shone with approval, as if he had passed some secret test with flying colours.

"What is going on Potter?" he spat, confused about what was going on, was this a new torment the two had thought up, to wave Lily in his face?

Black was the one who answered. "None of this leaves this room, understand? I need your word Snape, I need to know I can trust you to keep this quiet, at least until we graduate, then you can scream bloody murder, but only after we graduate,"

Severus said nothing, merely nodding his head, gesturing for Black to continue. For some reason, Black trusted him to keep his word, Severus realizing that despite the animosity between them, they both always kept their word, even if there was no trust between them.

"Mother wanted Reggie to be a Death Eater, she said he would make the family proud, defending the purity of wizard kind. I refused to let Reggie become that, a slave to a madman that would kill even his loyal followers, so Mother gave me a choice. Either take Reggie's place or leave. I choose my brother. The Dark Lord will have Reggie over my dead body," Black hissed, eyes narrowing as the memories from the summer were dredged up again. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Black feel silent again, letting Potter take over.

"Long story short, I found out about Sirius being a bloody fool and agreeing to this, and I'm not letting him go in there alone, if he goes, I go. I can't love a girl like Evans anymore, not as a Death Eater, but I don't want to leave her alone either, she's strong and tough but she's reckless as well, I want someone there to protect her, I want you to look after her, I know you love her, it's bloody obvious that she still cares about you, she sits at the Gryffindor table alternating between shooting you longing glances and us confused ones. So please Snape, forgive yourself and go to Lily, protect her happiness." Potter pleaded, letting raw emotion seep into his voice.

Desperation, despair, sadness, a hint of anger, and a hint of jealousy, that the one he tormented and looked down on all these years could have what he couldn't, Lily's love.

"You don't want to be a Death Eater anyway, yes I know Malfoy contacted you, he's trying to recruit you isn't he?" Black asked casually, as if he hadn't just spilled Severus' plans.

"The things they do, it isn't just about pure blood and old forgotten ways, You-Know-Who doesn't care for that, all he cares for is power. I wasn't joking about how he tortures his own followers for even the slightest failure, I've seen some of the nerve damage on Rodolphus when he comes limping back after a raid gone wrong."

Black flinched at the memory, nerve damage meant the Cruciatus curse and Rodolphus was well known for being one of the Dark Lords most loyal and fanatic Death Eaters. Yet even he, wasn't spared from the Dark Lords wrath.

"Please Snape, do not fall for what a madman promises, it will be too late to escape then and you'll be tainted by You-Kno-, the Dark Lord's foul taint forever," Black whispered, as if the words he was speaking were a terrible secret, which now that Severus thought about it, probably was. It certainly was far different to what his fellow Slytherin's had said about service to the Dark Lord.

Potter shot Black a look, more questioning from what Severus could tell, then angry or demanding. "Bella said to call him the Dark Lord, anything else would be rude or inappropriate. She enjoyed punishing me every time I slipped up,"

Snape shuddered inwardly at the thought of that woman's punishments, even now; Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black was spoken about in hushed whispers of awe and fear. No wonder Black had such old eyes now, it is because he aged years in merely a few days, Severus thought.

"They make service to the Dark Lord…no, to You-Know-Who seem like a proud and noble thing, that the cause he fights for is what the wizarding worlds needs. However, I sense no lie from you. I…I thought that what You-Know-Who fought for was just, I've seen the worst muggles have to offer to Wizarding kind, I thought them a plague on this world. It seems I forget that one mold does not fit all." He confessed, one of his lesser secrets, but a secret none the less.

"I'll talk to Lily tomorrow, I don't know about forgiving myself, but I want Lily to know I am sorry none the less," Resolve burned in his eyes. James nodded his approval once more, before turning with Sirius to leave. "Thanks for this Snape, look after Lily, please,"

Snape nodded, also turning to leave. "I should be the one thanking you,"

The next time he saw Lily, the first thing he did was apologize, before blurting out if she wanted to go out for the next Hogsmeade weekend. Her delighted smile caused a heat to pool in his stomach and for the first time in a long time, Severus Snape was happy.

From around the corner, hidden in the shadows, James Potter allowed a ghost of a smile to cross his face, before leaving to find Sirius.

~~Chapter End~~

Chapters probably won't be going in chronological order, the next chapter will be set in the current present, while occasionally, there will be chapters about the past, slipped in, most likely also not in chronological order, but mostly there to add background information.

Again, apologies for OC use, but there just isn't enough information about the Marauders School Years, for example, we only know Lily was a Gryffindor, not any of the other girls in her year, so I'm pulling some names out of a hat as filler for details like that.

Any feedback is appreciated, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Also, any inconsistencies with canon (ie someone being at Hogwarts when they should have graduated) that I've missed, if someone can point those out, I would be much appreciated!


	3. First Rule of the Wizengamot

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Harry Potter, though a do claim few minor filler OC's

Warning: Same as always, some minor language as well

I really have no idea how a trial works, especially a ministry one, so it will partly be based on Harry's Disciplinary Hearing

Chapter was taken down for minor spelling editing, sorry for those who tried to read in the small time it took to edit.

There has been a silly number of editing done to this chapter, apologies in advance for the changes, they're minor at best, I merely changed Charles to Charlus (The correct spelling according to Potter wiki), as well as add a few grammar edits. Just a note for people who notice the slight change!

~~BREAKLINE~~

Chapter Two: First Rule of the Wizengamot, a Potter-Black team up is always deadly

_1981, 2nd__November, London, Leaky Cauldron_

When the team of Aurors, lead by Frank Longbottom came through the floo network, the two quiet figures sitting in a far corner knew their time was up. They had been celebrating and mourning, though made no effort to conceal their identities (which was probably one of the reasons no one had dared to make a move against them), and had in fact, been waiting for the inevitable arrest attempt.

It had came as a surprise that it had been Frank Longbottom that had lead the team, Sirius had thought that the man was still in hiding with his wife, Alice Longbottom and their one year old child Neville, who had been born the day before little Harry. If Sirius was honest, he had been hoping for old Mad Eye Moody, while they did plan on surrendering, Sirius had wanted one last wild duel before being thrown into a jail cell for life, surrounded by joy sucking dementors. However, he do that to Frank Longbottom, the man just came out of hiding after all, probably to help with the clean up, and he'd hate to make Alice a widow when they had just been delivered a little bundle of joy.

Sirius had tried to talk James into visiting their families one last time, most likely the Potter's would avoid James' trial to avoid any further association, and the Black's might or might not go, his relationship had been rocky when his Father had discovered his Mother's treachery and he had lost all contact with his Mother's death. _Perhaps they will go,_Sirius mused, _if only to see Mother's murderer put away for life._

By this point, the Auror's had set up anti apparition and portkey wards, with two Aurors covering each entrance, as the rest, a team of five including Frank slowly circled around them. "James Potter, Sirius Black, you are surrounded, escape is impossible, surrender your wands now and come quietly or face deadly force," Frank called out, reciting the new standard Auror demand ever since Barty Crouch Sr authorized the use of unforgivables during the war.

"I haven't paid my tab yet," James said calmly, still sipping his butterbear (Firewhiskey dulled the senses as far as he was concerned) while Sirius chugged down another cup of his Firewhiskey. "At least let us finish our drinks," Sirius added eagerly, pouring himself another glass, neither making any indication to surrender their wands, though they weren't attacking either, Frank noted with relief. When he had been ordered to investigate reports that two of You-Know-Who's inner circle members were drinking in the Leaky Cauldron, had been there for two days in fact, he had thought his superior had finally lost it.

Seeing the two in front of him in the flesh however, confirmed the reports, and when he first caught sight of them, Frank had cursed his luck and had ordered immediate backup. One did not confront two of You-Know-Who's top lieutenants with one standard team of Aurors (though he was going to damn well try) when it was common knowledge that the two alone could tear though an Auror team in 10 seconds flat. There were little stories about the battles the two were involved in, more due to the lack of survivors then the lack of battles.

Frank debated allowing the request or trying to take the two now, estimating that the chances of capturing either to be slim. Even surrounded, the two had the advantage, he knew that they could pick of two of his team before any of them could cast a spell, despite wands drawn. "5 seconds, that's all I'm giving you to surrender," he finally compromised. He knew it was a gamble, but he couldn't feel any hostility from them, not like other Death Eater's he'd rounded up the past two days.

Sirius didn't reply, merely chugged his bottle of Firewhiskey as fast as possible, not about to waste a single drop just because of a time limit. James on the other hand reached into his robe (which had half the Auror's tensing further) and pulled out a sack of coins, throwing the bag over the gathered Auror's heads, onto the bar Tom was currently standing behind, wand drawn as he watched the exchange. The loud clang that followed caused a few tense Aurors to jump nervously, while Tom noted the bag of gleaming Galleons he had been thrown.

"Keep the change, not like I'll need it where I'm going," James called, standing while drawing his wand, hand on the tip rather than the handle, Sirius following suit. "Relax, we're not going to do anything," Sirius said brightly, grinning at Frank in a surprisingly friendly manner. "Ignore him, he's pissed out of his mind, low alcohol tolerance," James intoned, as the two allowed their hands to be bound behind their backs.

"Says the man who only drinks butterbeer and pumpkin juice," Sirius snorted, as the two fell into light banter while being lead to the fireplace. "Thanks for the last supper Tom, your Leaky House Soup's still the best," Sirius called over his shoulder, before stepping into the green fire that would lead to the Ministry of Magic and a jail cell until his trial. "Look after yourself now," James added, before he too, stepped though. Tom merely gapped at the fireplace, it wasn't exactly often two infamous and well known Death Eater's greeted you like an old friend.

~~BREAKLINE~~

_1981, 2nd-3rd__of November, Ministry of Magic_

Fifteen minutes later, two Auror's are pronounced dead on scene while another two are rushed to the intensive care unit at St Mungo's. Frank Longbottom is delayed by thirty minutes returning home.

Three hours later, Frank Longbottom is ambushed by Bellatrix Lestrange, the attack leaves Frank crippled for life, the The Cruciatus Curse destroying his spine nerves permanently (unfixable magic damage), though while Frank is confined to a wheelchair for life, his wife is confined to a St Mungo's bed. The Curse destroyed Frank physically, but Alice, mentally.

Seven hours later, Bellatrix Lestrange is captured and thrown into a cell four doors down from James Potter and Sirius Black. She is tried and sentenced within the hour. Her husband and brother-in-law join her two hours later. The time was 1:17 am, nine hours after James Potter and Sirius Black surrendered to Frank Longbottom.

Frank could only marvel at how in nine hours, he had gone from top of the world to losing everything, his wife, his career, the use of his legs. His Mother was watching Neville, while he was no longer an Auror; he was still Head of the House of Longbottom. He had trials to attend.

Fifteen hours and 43 minutes after James Potter and Sirius Black are arrested; Frank Longbottom receives an early morning floo call. Four days later, James Potter and Sirius Black are escorted into Trial Room 10, the rest of their lives laid before them.

~~BREAKLINE~~

_1981, 7th__November, Ministry of Magic, Wizengamot Trial Court Room 10_

Severus Snape glanced around the trial room, which was filled with Witches and Wizards, the seats for spectators, reporters and ministry members who were not part of the trial were filled with people, much like other high profile trials, but the trial of James Potter and Sirius Black, both heirs to Ancient and Noble families, powerful, wealthy families. To the reporters, it was the scope of the century, to the rest of the rabble; it was a chance to see the high and mighty fall, become a permanent smear on the names of Potter and Black.

Severus sneered at that thought; something like this wasn't going to bring the powerful families down, even so, he settled down to watch the drama unfold, it seemed that while the wizarding world fixated on the Potter-Black son duo, they had forgotten just how much power the Potter-Black father duo had.

When the two were lead in, Severus almost snorted at the way the two walked, as well as the fact that Sirius was struggling to walk covered in the amount of restraints he was covered in, a complete contrast to James. When they sat, the Auror's made extra special care to make sure Sirius was tied down, while James sat, no restraints, though there were wards around the chairs to contain them.

James still had the same emotionless look that he wore throughout his seventh year, only occasionally allowing his emotions to seep through, such as at his and Lily's wedding near the end of their seventh year.

Lily. Just thinking about her still made his heart hurt, only Remus and Peter's continued support, and the thought of little Harry, currently sleeping soundly at the Longbottom's, right next to Neville, kept him going. He hadn't turned up for any of the trials, whether they had been his former Housemates, or merely the Death Eater's that had plagued his and Lily's life the past three years.

A master of Dark Arts and Potions, Severus had been working as a Hit Wizard, the Ministry seeing all the talents of a potential Death Eater, only with moral compass straight enough that he wouldn't even consider joining You-Know-Who's service. Many of those on trial had been Witches and Wizards he had helped hunt down, as he had taken out his rage and grief and loss on the ones who he felt were responsible. He still hadn't gotten his hands on the traitor yet, but Mundungus Fletcher still at least had a few contacts in the underworld, and was used to hiding from both the law and the less savory. The man had ratted out his and Lily's secret keeper, the man wasn't going to get away, not if he had anything to say about it.

Dumbledore had assured them it was safe, no one knew where they were, the Potter's were secretive and the house in Godric's Hollow even more so, the location knowledge limited to a select few, two of which _Obliviated_ themselves to prevent the knowledge from falling into the wrong hands.

As Barty Crouch Sr called the court into session, Severus sat up just a bit straighter, looking only at the two men who had helped him complete his world that night, when James Potter all but begged him to watch over Lily.

Severus had not seen them in person in three years, true to their word, they disappeared shortly after graduation, and didn't resurface until a month later, as members of You-Know-Who's outer circle, and then proceeded to climb the ladder faster than any of the Dark Lord's minions, becoming inner circle members in just one short year. While Severus himself hadn't ever fought against them directly, though not for the lack of trying, he often tried to hunt them down, only to fail as they kept one step ahead of him, he had heard stories from the few, and it was a small minority indeed, that had survived the battles where they were on field.

Quick, ruthless, and without mercy, was what they had described. They did not stop to torture, to gloat, to bath in the destruction that they had caused, they were like storm, appearing in lightning speed, devastating the battlefield, before disappearing back into the winds the next, leaving behind a trail of bodies. Severus knew, that to save himself from feeling the horrors, James had cut his emotions, while Sirius clung to James like a drowning man to a piece of driftwood, as long as James was there, as long as he wasn't alone, Sirius could do anything.

"Do you think our combined testimony will be enough?" Someone whispered into his ear, as Severus glanced up to look at Regulus Black, seated next to Orion Black, his and Sirius' father, as well as Charlus Potter, James' father. When word arrived that the infamous duo of James Potter and Sirius Black had surrendered to the Aurors, Charlus and Orion had blackmailed, bullied and downright forced their way into the proceedings. The rule was that family members weren't allowed to vote in immediate family member's trials, which meant that instead of the 50 votes; it was 48 as both the Potter and Black family held one seat in the Wizengamot. Even so, the Potter and Black seats were filled, something no one seemed to be willing to bring up, even if the seats were filled with proxies.

Orion Black had originally been proud of Sirius, not having known about his wife's blackmail, having believed that his firstborn had finally seen sense, distancing himself from influences he deemed beneath him, and while James Potter hadn't been his first choice of purebloods for his son to associate with, he was still a pureblood from a noble and long line of purebloods, as well as a distant relative of the family, his mother being Orion's aunt.

This had changed quickly for a multiple of reasons, but first and foremost, it had been finding out about what Walburga had forced Sirius to choose, and later, the death of his wife at the hands of this Dark Lord had cemented his stance on the war. It had been a warning to Sirius and the main Black family line, he had learned.

It had been the one time Sirius had been disobedient, where instead of giving the Dark Lord the information he desired, had destroyed it instead. The Dark Lord punished all the same way, pain and fear and rounds of the Cruciatus Curse until whoever had displeased him was a blubbering mass on the floor of his throne room. But for Sirius, he did none of those, instead seeking his wife, Sirius' Mother, taking her while she was out in Knockturn Alley, never believing she was in danger from the very Dark she had worshipped all these years. He did not know what transpired, only that the bleeding, battered, broken body of his wife was delivered to his doorstep, with a note explaining how the Dark Lord had been displeased with the Black family.

Charlus Potter contacted him the next day and Orion Black decided then, there would be a reckoning, they were not losing their heirs, their _sons_ to a madman due to one woman's mistake and a misguided sense of loyalty to protecting family. When they received news that Sirius and James had been captured, they had felt giddy, excited and incredibly tired in one go. Now, being able to see James and Sirius, sitting there, alive, it had been overwhelming. They both agreed on what was going to happen, they were going to being their boys home, even if they had to strong-arm every ministry stooge in this room to do so.

~~BREAKLINE~~

James tried not to think that about what was going to happen to them, instead he let his emotions flow within him for the first time in nearly a year, the last time being when Walburga's unconscious form had been laid at Sirius feet, as a punishment for disobedience.

While he let none of the emotion show on his face, inside, a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings blew around within him, the sorrow and grief he did not allow himself to feel before, for Lily's death, for the child (_his_godchild, he still didn't know what the Snape's were thinking to make him the godfather) who would grow without knowing his mother, sympathy for Severus, and finally, there was the trickles of regret, that he would never live the life he had dreamed, that he had bound his fate to Sirius, but he snuffed that out before it could be allowed to take root, he had been prepared, they both had, he wasn't about to regret the life he choose because it had all came crashing down on them.

Beside him Sirius was getting restless, but he couldn't move, chained down to the chair as he was, around the legs, arms, collar around his neck, wrists, anything that could move, the Aurors chained down, they weren't taking the chance, not after Sirius took out the Aurors trying to separate them. They let him stay with Sirius in the end, not willing to risk more Aurors just to separate the duo that were always together, whether it be the battlefield or their daily lives.

'This chair is really uncomfortable' Sirius mouthed to him, as he squirmed in his seat, trying and failing to find a more comfortable position. James' mouth twitched in amusement, which only Sirius noticed, having grown used to reading the small slivers of emotion James' occasionally let slip. 'Why do you get to sit in something nicer?' Sirius huffed at him, pouting at the amusement that was slowly growing on James' face.

James' nodded his head over to a group of Aurors near them, two of which were heavily bandaged from where Sirius had dragged his cold iron claws across as much flesh as possible. It was only due to the fact they were veterans on the battlefield and having reflexes as sharp as Sirius' that had saved them from suffering the same fate as the two Aurors Sirius put down.

'They were asking for it, they tried to take you away'

James shook his head to indicate he wasn't against Sirius' actions, that it had merely been the reason he was currently not in chains. Sirius pouted, turning his eyes to look back at the Wizengamot which had finally settled, ready to judge the two of them for actions they couldn't being themselves to regret.

"Court is now in session, ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. Trial of the seventh of November, the accused James Potter and Sirius Orion Black, for the crime of willingly being Death Eater's, partaking in You-Know-Who's campaign of terror, an unknown but large number of murders, torture and use of Dark Arts. Interrogators: Bartemius Crouch Sr, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Abraxas Malfoy, representative for the Wizengamot, Frank Longbottom, Lead Auror in the capture of suspects, Black and Potter. Court Scribe, Andrew Copperfield. Does the accused have any words before this trial begins?" Barty Crouch Sr asked.

"That this farce of a trail is unnecessary, just ship us of to Azkaban with life sentences already," Sirius said, rolling his eyes at how terribly formal this was becoming, he was feeling more and more uncomfortable, wanting nothing more than to return to the cell they had been thrown in and curl up against James in his giant black dog form. "Sirius is correct; everyone here knows we can throw off the Imperius curse, I think at this point, there is no argument that we were willing Death Eaters," James added, eyes reflecting boredom at the entire situation, it was far too formal for his taste. There was no doubt about their guilt; he honestly did not know why they needed to drag out the procedure.

"Lawyer for the defence, Bartley Burke. I apologize for being late, security was rather…strict, they insisted on delaying me, for whatever reason I cannot fathom," At this, Burke eyed a witch behind Barty with a rather evil eye, said witch shifting uncomfortably at the scrutiny. It was no secret she was behind the security detail, and considering how easily everyone else unrelated to the case had entered, it raised questions about bias that the defences lawyer struggled to get past security Barty Crouch Sr's secretary organized.

"Also, Scribe, please strike the last two sentences from the records, my clients were not being advised by their lawyer when making those statements," Burke added, smiling rather winningly at court, he hadn't had an exciting case in a long time, and it was rather fun to run circles around the ministry court.

"The defendants didn't lawyer up," Crouch said tightly, eyes narrowing at the lawyer. Glossy black hair framed a rather young face, Bartley Burke was smooth, smart, but most importantly, he could win over the court with his smile alone. Crouch knew if the man was allowed to stay, the originally open closed case would get incredibly complicated.

"We aren't your clients anyways," James said, glaring at the smiling lawyer. "Apologies, I should have made it clear that when I say my clients, I meant my clients sons,"

James' hands clenched on the seat, as emotion so strong even he couldn't kill it flushed through him, he hadn't spoken to his family in over four years, cutting contact in the middle of sixth year, right after Christmas, so that when the blow came, they were already distant. Why was the family lawyer at the trial of a prodigal, disowned son?

"Mr Crouch, my clients came to me with evidence that the defendants were coerced into servitude rather than being loyal Death Eaters to You-Know-Who. I have a number of witnesses as well as a warrant, signed by a majority of the Wizengamot to allow the use of Veritaserum,"

Crouch tensed, looking like he had swallowed a rather bitter pill. "Veritaserum is not infallible, Potter and Black are able to throw off the imperious, what is to say that they can't throw off Veritaserum," he argued.

"Absolutely nothing, but I have a Wizengamot approved court order, you have no say in this," Burke replied, his smile going from pleasant to that of a sharks grin.

"Do I have to keep repeating myself? We are not your clients, and I can assure you that my father did not hire you to put up this farce, so can we just get on with this, sentence us and throw us in Azkaban already," James bellowed, raising his voice over the sudden background chatter that had broken out after Burke's revelation about new evidence, standing up from his seat, glaring at Burke, hands clenched, the only sign he was feeling anger, even as no emotion showed on his face.

"And I can assure you that I did in fact, ask Bartley to take up this case, so sit down James and let the man do his job," the unmistakable voice of Charlus Potter bellowed out across the courtroom from somewhere behind James, where family members sat, he realized. James turned slowly, dreading what he was about to see, there was no logical explanation for why his father's voice rang out, he was sure that Charlus Potter would not go to his sons trial, he would have made it clear that there was no relation between them, he would have essentially disowned his son. And yet, as James stood there, staring, eyes wide in shock, there stood Charlus Potter, hands clenched, face pinched in determination, eyes blazing with an emotion James could no longer identify.

"What…?" was all he could utter, when he realized that he hadn't heard wrong, Charlus Potter was in fact in the room, Orion Black sat calmly next to him, a rather smug smirk on his face, as James gapped at the family bench, where Charlus Potter was stood, alongside Orion and Regulus Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Severus Snape were sat.

"Why are you all here…?"

They couldn't be there, he knew he cut contact with them all, might have caused some grief, but when the lists of Death Eater names were passed out, they had made sure they were on them. The Dark Lord's Death Eater's wore masks to inspire terror, some used it to hide their identity. The two didn't bother, neither needed to hide their identity and what was the point of a mask if their face could inspire the kind of terror the two wanted to inspire.

"James…Why did I hear your dad's voice, who's all here?" Sirius asked, trying and failing to get a glimpse of who was behind his seat, the chain's allowing for as little movement as possible. They had stripped him of his robes, throw him into standard prison robes and still hadn't been able to find all of his hidden weapons. They weren't taking the risk with Sirius Black and his unending arsenal of hidden muggle weapons.

"May I remind you that court is still in session, everyone quiet! Prisoner #1412, sit back down or be restrained like Prisoner #1413, anymore interruptions in court and I will have you removed, is that clear Lord Potter?" Crouch yelled across the court, interrupting the rather sudden reunion between father and son. "Crystal," Father and Son said.

James sat again, rather stiffly this time, eyes straight ahead, purposely ignoring the questioning looks Sirius was shooting him, as well as the pleased look on Bartley's face. This branch of the Burke family line that owned the wizarding law firm had always been high profile lawyers, and the more James looked at the trial, the more he saw.

The Wizengamot representative was always voted before the trials, with the flood of trials for Death Eaters, most likely the Wizengamot had been busy. More often than not, the representative had been either someone well known to be impartial such Bones or someone who was a 'Light' family, as the number of Light aligned families outnumbered the Dark when it came down to a vote. Malfoy was certain not a Light family, and almost never took the representative seat. His father had pulled some strings, from the looks of things, and Burke had already made a fool of Crouch, the trial was in the palm of his hand, his father certainly had the power to manipulate this, and with Black backing him, no one would have dared to go against them.

"Now that we're all on the same page," at this Bartley winked at the two, "Let's get on with the show, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sure you are desperate to hear the tale I am about to tell you, one of loyalty, to friends, to family, to the very things that we hold dear in this court. It is not two fanatic, crazed zealots that sit in these chairs, but merely two children protecting their brothers, their friends, even if the method is so misguided."

Bartley's speech had fired up the crowd, there was more excited whispers, with jeers mixed in, and Rita's quill was writing at speeds James was sure wasn't actually possible. The words struck true none the less, James was sure only three people knew the entire story about Sirius' little deal with his mother, and one of them had been dead for a year.

"Really, what a…_touching_story, though I highly doubt what you're trying to spin will hold. More than one person had their families threatened, and as I am sure you are aware, _they_did not turn to being Death Eater scum," Crouch snapped, apparently hearing a tad more sympathetic mutters then jeering ones.

"No, those people are merely dead instead," Bartley deadpanned, giving Crouch a dry look. "Either way, the circumstances are highly different between those whose families are threatened and those whose family do the threatening. If the court allows it, I will call my first witness, Severus Snape,"

The drop of the name Snape did the trick; people broke out in whispers immediately, that a publically acknowledged Hero, having earned a Order of Merlin First Class, twice, was defending the infamous duo of James Potter and Sirius Black, the two who had tormented him all though out Hogwarts first though to fifth years. Bartley smiled in a pleased little manner, when his first witness had the desired effect. One important thing about a trial his father had always told him, the first witness is the most important, the first witness was the one everyone remembered.

"Very well, will the witness take the stand?" Crouch intoned, knowing that any attempt to badmouth this particular witness would merely blow up in his face. In the past few days news had focused only on Frank Longbottom and little Harry Snape.

"Please state you name for the court," Snape nodded, as he sat in the witness chair, in front of the two prisoners.

"Severus Tobias Snape,"

Sirius shot James another questioning look; though this time he had a reply. 'My father is here, I do not know what he's doing, but I don't think they plan on letting us go to Azkaban quietly' James mouthed to him. Sirius blinked in surprise at James, processing the fact that Lord Potter himself was sat behind them.

"Please tell the court what evidence you have that these men were unwilling Death Eaters," Abraxas' voice brought the two out of their silent communications, now that the formalities were resolved. _Well, I suppose I did say that he could cry bloody murder after graduation, I just didn't think he'd be screaming foul play instead_Sirius mused.

"I was called out to a charms classroom past curfew, on the 15th of November, the senders were James Potter and Sirius Black. They wanted me to apologize to Lily, for an…_argument_we had the previous year, I had said some…unpleasant words to Lily and they wanted me to stop being stupid and confess to Lily," James noted Severus paused whenever Lily was mentioned, face grimacing, which James recognized as grief.

"Confess?" Crouch asked, drawing the word out. He had never liked Severus Snape, the man was far too similar to a Death Eater for his liking, and while he was Head of the Department, the Hit Wizards were always a bit of a rebellious group, their work were at times shady at best and he often did not want to know how they brought their latest suspect in. They also were loyal to a fault and defended their wizards much like a mother defended her child. If possible, Crouch would rather not make an enemy out of one of the departments up and rising stars, as well as the Captains favorite.

"Confess my feelings for Lily, I knew her before Hogwarts, I had always had affection for her. James wanted me to look after Lily, he felt I could protect her," Severus' voice quivered as he spoke of Lily, tears slowly sliding down his face. The man didn't make any attempt to wipe them away, he wasn't ashamed of his grief or the fact that he allowed it to show. To the men who knew Severus Snape, the show of weakness spoke volumes.

"It was well known that James had a crush on Lily, I was beyond surprised. I demanded to know what game they were playing, I thought they were going to torment me about Lily. Instead, Sirius told me about what his Mother did. She was going to pressure his younger brother into being a Death Eater. I knew Regulus, I didn't think she'd have to do any pressuring, but Sirius refused to let her do so. They discouraged me from being a Death Eater, they knew I had been scouted." He purposely left out that it had been Abraxas' own son that had done so, the man most likely already knew.

"I see, Walburga Black had been blackmailing Sirius Black into being a Death Eater, is that what you are saying?" Abraxas asked. "That is correct," Severus confirmed.

"You believe this sob story?" Crouch snapped, gesturing towards Severus. "How convenient, that they are the only witnesses, collaborating their story quite nicely, wouldn't you say?"

"No, No, it makes sense now. I was in the year above, I've seen first-hand how much the three hated each other, hell, I broke up a few fights myself, and I can tell you, they weren't pretty. That changed in Seventh year, their sixth, Black and Potter suddenly were almost friendly with Snape, even put some guys in the Hospital Wing if they tried to mess with him." Frank spoke up. He remembered how in sixth year, Snape had suddenly fell out with Lily, only in his seventh, to apologize and start dating. He had thought Potter would have retaliated viciously, but they hadn't heard a peep out of the man.

Realizing that the other two were against him, Crouch fell silent.

"Tell me Mr Snape, is there anything else you can tell this court about how willing, James and Sirius were?" Bartley asked, already knowing the answer, he had thoroughly made sure after all, that his clients would without a doubt be able to walk from the court free men, or at least, men who wouldn't be shipped off to Azkaban.

"They were at my wedding with Lily, during Christmas of our seventh year. James gifted me a house in fact, one that was well protected and unknown to You-Know-Who's forces. He never told You-Know-Who this information, even after I had come to his attention." Severus left out the part about how they Obliviated themselves, as far as the court was concerned, James Potter and Sirius Black had withheld information critical to You-Know-Who's campaign of terror.

"Thank you Mr Snape. Are there any further questions?" Bartley added, turning to the interrogators. "None, you may sit, thank you." Abraxas said.

Severus nodded to them, turning back and looking at James and Sirius. James was unreadable, as always, but Sirius didn't bother to hide his surprise at seeing him, as well as the delight that at least he had survived the attack that had killed Lily. 'You look terrible' he mouthed teasingly, causing Severus' lips to twitch in amusement.

"I would like to call Lord Black to the stand, to give further evidence about Walburga Black's actions," Bartley intoned, causing Sirius to jerk violently at the mention of his father. "He's here? Father is here? Why didn't you say something!" Sirius cried at James, as panic began to well up in his chest. He still remembered his Mother's last moments, looking at him with pitying eyes, he couldn't bring himself to face his Father after that.

"Yes, child, I am here. I will not allow you to go to Azkaban for protecting your brother, especially not after what Walburga did. Now, let's skip these silly formalities, everyone in this court knows who I am, let us get to the point. I found out about what Walburga did a year after Sirius graduated, she let slip about how all Sirius needed was a little encouragement to follow the…_right_path. After interrogating her, I discovered she had forced Sirius into choosing who became a Death Eater after graduation, himself or Regulus. Apparently, Sirius loved his brother more than his morals,"

Crouch stared impassively at the man. "That does not explain James Potter's involvement,"

"James Potter was, and still is, my son's closest friend. During the summer of sixth year, young James stayed at my home in London, with Sirius. From what I witnessed, it was a misguided loyalty to a friend that was like a brother that led to James Potter being involved" Orion explained, remembering James' actions during the summer of the sixth year, the reclusiveness, how he stuck close to Sirius, acted as a buffer between Sirius and his Mother.

_I should have realized it then_he mused sadly, _should have seen how Sirius acted around Walburga, how was I so blind._

The drop about loyalty worked, Orion noted, pleased. More faces were turning sympathetic, as the members of the court who hadn't been bought softened, eyes seeing what they wanted them to see, two children who should never have been forced into the position they had been. Orion knew the two had taken their situation and made the best of it, one did not have Sirius' skills with muggle weapons, nor James' dueling skills from merely two years of preparation. A time turner had been involved, Orion was certain about that.

Sirius watched the back of his father. The man did not look anything like the man he had come to associate with his father. His father had always been a man of few words, leaving raising his children mostly to his wife. Now, the man had an air of openness that he did not possess previously, and Sirius could almost delude himself into thinking the man possessed some form of parental love for him. He had thought the death of his Mother would cause the man to distance himself from Sirius further, he had expected the man to hate him. It was Sirius' fault his Mother was dead after all.

"Does the court need any further witnesses?" Bartley asked. "No, I for one believe we had heard enough. It is clear to me that this is merely the manipulations of one misguided woman, not two fanatic zealots following a madman, wouldn't you agree?" Abraxas said, making quite clear he had every intention of voting to clear the two.

"I want the use of Veritaserum, I want to hear it from Black and Potters own mouths that Black's mother was some deluded fool who forced them," Crouch demanded. The sleazebag of lawyer had a court order anyways; he might as well use it.

"Very well, the defense has nothing to hide," Bartley said, one had pulling out the small green bottle from within his robe.

"I refuse," James said suddenly. "I will not drink a single drop of that potion,"

"James, listen to me, we are this close, don't mess it up now," Bartley said, turning to James. "Come on, just three drops, it's all I'm asking,"

"If James refuses, so do I," Sirius added, smiling brightly at Bartley, Sirius knew why James refused, he didn't want Crouch asking anything while under the influence, they both knew the man was vicious enough to drag up unpleasant memories.

"I wonder, what do you two have to hide? It puts this in a new light, perhaps, you are hiding the fact that you are willing Death Eaters?" Crouch said smugly, as support started to shift back in his favor.

"Bartley, you have my permission to use force," Charlus Potter said suddenly. "Understood, Lord Potter," Bartley said, grinning wickedly at James. Two Aurors suddenly surged forward, using restraining spells to keep James from leaping at Bartley. Sirius started to struggle more, despite knowing it was useless, he couldn't reach his lockpicks, and half his chains were magical restraints anyways. Even so, he struggled as Bartley tipped three drops onto James mouth, which was being forced open by a third Auror.

"Now, please state your name for the court," Crouch said, as James' eyes took on the fogged glassy tone that was characteristic of Veritaserum.

"James Potter," Came the toneless voice, another symptom of a man under the influence of Veritaserum. Sirius could see James fighting the potion, but neither knew Severus had made doubly sure the potion was stronger than normal, making it a concentrate rather than diluting the potion.

"What are your reasons for joining the Dark Lord?" Abraxas asked.

"Sirius. He was scared, he did not want to be alone. I would not leave him alone," James said, eyes pinching as he tried to fight the potion.

"And what was Sirius Black's reasons?" Frank added.

"Regulus, his mother threatened Regulus," James said, apparently managing some control over himself, as he didn't elaborate further.

"What have you done under the Dark Lord's orders?" Crouch asked, eyes glinting maliciously at the question that everyone in court knew he would ask.

"I am-," James started before both Bartley and Sirius yelled their objection. "My client does not have to answer that question; there is no relevance to this case, what my client has done under coercion is not the topic of the trial." Bartley defended loudly, making sure to shout over the slow droning of James' voice, who was still talking about crimes he had committed.

Bartley administered the antidote at once, the very picture of an angry lawyer at the mistreatment of his client. He was secretly glowing inside, Crouch had secured his loss, the question that was very much in his character meant he had finally isolated the few court members who's morals would not allow them to ignore the little slip. They had all but won.

"If interrogator Crouch is satisfied, I would like to start the vote. Those in favor of clearing Sirius Orion Black and James Potter?" More than half the hands rose, in fact, Sirius counted most of the hands, including Frank Longbottom.

"Those against?" Only four hands rose, including Crouch, though that was no surprise.

"Motion passed, Sirius Orion Black, James Potter, you are both cleared of being loyal willing Death Eaters. However, we must still address the crimes you committed while under coercion, you were not being controlled though the Imperius Curse, as such, must take some responsibility for your actions. The Wizengamot have already discussed this prior to the trial as per Lord Black and Lord Potter's request. You will be held under house arrest until deemed fit for society by the Wizengamot. We also have a request by Lord Dumbledore, for your expertise to be put into use at Hogwarts, assistant Professors to ease you back into working with and around people once more," Abraxas said.

Sirius gapped, even Dumbledore had conspired to keep them out of Azkaban. "Gentlemen, you are free to go," Abraxas said, before noise exploded around them, reporters shouting to each other excitedly, talks of headlines already in the works. Though it all, the small group of family and friends slipped out of the court, as Aurors returned Sirius and James' belongings in a side room.

Orion Black and Charlus Potter shared knowing smiles. It had taken far more planning then they had expected, manipulating the Wizengamot into allowing Malfoy the interrogators seat, talking to Frank Longbottom, gathering anyone who had an inkling of testimony together. When Sirius Black and James Potter exited into the auditorium, dressed in new robes, both looking at the men wearily, they knew they had done it, they had forced the court into releasing two of the most notorious Death Eaters known to public. The backlash would be terrible, but as Charlus Potter drew his son into a fierce hug, he found that he couldn't bring himself to care. Judging from Orion's face as he did the same, he most likely would agree with Charlus.

Besides, Charlus mused, if worse came to worse, they were more than wealthy enough to buyout every newspaper company in the entire wizarding world.

~~BREAKLINE~~

Ok, so trial scenes are far too tedious and far to filler like for my liking. I was tempted to add some action into this, have Sirius break free and attack the Aurors when they forced veritaserum down James' throats, but I decided against it, they were in a room filled with wizards, as skilled as Sirius is, even I don't think he would have gotten far.

On a side note, there are far too many names that end in s. Bartley Burke is an entirely made up character, though Burke according to Pottermore, is a well known pureblood family. Bartley most likely will turn up again, but won't play a major role, merely a filler character.

Feedback is always nice, is this chapter too boring, didn't focus on one character enough, hell, did it even make sense?

Next few chapters will focus on two things, slowly filling the gap between Sixth year and the trial, as well as this idea I can't get out of my head, of Sirius and James basically being substitutes for their friends when things such as they call in sick. I am especially looking forward to Sirius and James attempts at being replacement Hit Wizards while Snape is forced home with a bad case of Wizard Flu or is otherwise unable to do his job.

Anyways, hope you liked the chapter!


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